But the spinechilling sound of a wolf's howl is also helping scientists work on new ways of managing wildlife.

Scientists say the howl is highly individual, making it possible for animals to be identified by voice.

In fact each wolf has its own 'singing voice' that allows it to be picked out in a chorus of cries.

The findings will give conservationists an accurate way of tracking wolves, which play an essential role in the food chain but can be a pest to farmers.

Current techniques either cannot be used year-round or are expensive or labour-intensive - one involves producing imitation howls at night and estimating the number of animals in a pack based on the number of responses. Not surprisingly, this can lead to miscounts.

But now Nottingham Trent University scientists have created a computer program that analyses the volume and pitch of a wolf's howl to identify the animal it came from. Tested on 67 recordings of ten wild wolves, it was correct 100 per cent of the time. It also recognised individual calls from a chorus. Previous programs were wrong one time in four.

Researcher Holly Root-Gutteridge told the BBC: 'It's a bit like language: if you put the stress in different places, you form a different sound.' The study, published in the journal Bioacoustics, recorded eastern grey wolves whose howls can be heard up to five miles away.

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